Damian Lillard (2021) - Hall of Fame - Weber State University Athletics

Damian Lillard

Induction:
2021
Class:
2012

Damian Lillard has accumulated numerous honors since leaving Weber State and is now a Hall of Famer. The NBA superstar and Olympic gold medalist is one of the greatest athletes to play in the Big Sky Conference or a school in the state of Utah.

The Oakland, California native came to Ogden in 2008 as a true freshman and four years later, left as a legend.

He instantly made an impact with the Wildcats, garnering Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors and earning first team All-Big Sky honors as the Wildcats won the Big Sky title. During his sophomore season, he led the 'Cats to a second straight Big Sky title and was named Big Sky MVP, after leading the conference in scoring at 19.9 points per game.

He entered his junior season with huge expectations, but broke his foot just nine games into the season that forced him to miss the rest of the year.

He called it a "minor setback for a major comeback" and that's exactly what he did the following year. During the 2011-12 season, Lillard led the nation in scoring for most of the season and finished second in at 24.5 points per game, the best average in school history. He was named the Big Sky MVP and the District Player of the Year, and led the Wildcats to a 25-win season. He scored in double figures all 32 games that season and had eight games of 30 or more points and two of 40 or more, including a career-high 41 points in a win over San Jose State.

The season culminated in Lillard earning All-America honors, becoming the only player in Big Sky history to be named to an All-American team.

He finished his Weber State career with 1,934 career points, at the time second in school history and now fourth. He still ranks as WSU's career leader in free throws made and ranks in the WSU career top 10 in nine other categories.

Following his record-setting season, he declared for the 2012 NBA Draft and was selected sixth by the Portland Trail Blazers. He earned NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 and has since earned All-NBA honors six times and been named to six NBA All-Star teams.

During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, he won a gold medal with Team USA. He became the first player from a school in the state of Utah to play for Team USA in the Olympics and just the second WSU athlete to ever compete in the Summer Olympics.

Lillard has remained close to Weber State and the Wildcat program. In May 2015, he graduated from Weber State University. He has also hosted four Weber State Basketball Alumni Classics and in 2017, his No. 1 jersey was retired.